


Stones Thrown

by OrionRedde, Shyrstyne



Series: Heart Hotel Stands AU [2]
Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canonical Character Death, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-07
Updated: 2019-11-27
Packaged: 2021-01-24 23:57:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,583
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21346912
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OrionRedde/pseuds/OrionRedde, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shyrstyne/pseuds/Shyrstyne
Summary: Vanitas doesn't like what's going on in Castle Oblivion. Ven just wants to figure out why it all feels sofamiliar.
Series: Heart Hotel Stands AU [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1478012
Comments: 78
Kudos: 234





	1. Said The Spider To The Fly

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to part 2! We're still following the KH plot.... for now. We return to our thursday update schedule until CoM is finished, then I'll post the oneshot that is the 358 adaption (i wasn't writing out all 358 days again im sorry im not strong enough for that) and then we go back on hiatus until i've worked through the next part.
> 
> In the meantime, enjoy!

Vanitas scowls the whole way to the castle, following the man in the black coat.

_“I don’t trust him, Sora.”_ He growls into the little window that lets him see outside Sora’s heart._ “And I don’t trust this. This smells like a trap.”_

The man in the black robe that had taunted them and deliberately drawn the group towards the castle sets Vanitas’ teeth on edge. He knows he wouldn’t ask Sora to change, his optimism is relentlessly endearing, but sometimes Vanitas wishes for just a little critical thought. 

“What else is there to do?” Sora says out loud. His seemingly random pronouncement doesn’t faze Donald or Goofy, long used to Sora occasionally breaking off to talk to his heart friends.

_“I don’t know.”_ Vanitas admits. _“But you have to admit something about this smells bad.”_

_“His wording was… awful vague.. That’s the sort of thing that’s intentionally trying to lead you somewhere.”_ Ven pipes in hesitantly. Once he would have fallen for it himself. He’d learned better.

Vanitas looks away. Some things never quite healed, only scabbed over.

“We’ll just have to be on our guard.” Sora nods and then looks back at Donald and Goofy. “Ven and Van don’t like this, they want us on our toes.”

“Always!” Donald says with confidence. Goofy nods.

“We won’t let ya down!”

As they walk the castle looms before them, dark and twisted and all sorts of strange. In Sora’s heart, Ven’s brow furrows in confusion.

_“It looks… kinda familiar.”_ He says, and Vanitas looks at him askance.

_“This place? Really?”_

_“Yeah, it’s like it’s on the tip of my tongue.”_

Sora gives the castle a long look before shrugging. It’s not familiar at all to him.

Something else tugs at his heart though, a feeling deep inside. 

“I think.. I think they’re here..” he says, striding forward with purpose. Donald and Goofy both nod, and help him with the tall double doors. 

“Gwarsh I was just thinkin that. Like I just knew somehow.” Goofy affirms. 

“Me too.” Donald says. “But how?”

Within Sora’s heart, Ven glances over at Vanitas, who shrugs. 

_“I got nothing. Whole lot of you are crazy.”_

Their attention is drawn back towards the outside world as Goofy shouts a warning, pointing out a stranger in a black coat. Donald attempts magic on the strange man only to have it fail. Vanitas brow’s furrow and Ven looks on, concerned.

The explanation the robed stranger gives is winding and unspecific, making Vanitas scowl further as he deliberately leads Sora to his own conclusions.

“You mean Riku’s here!” Sora shouts, caught between excited and angry. Vanitas wants to shake him.

_“Stop ** listening** to him, kid! Or listen better, I don’t know!”_

Sora’s expression falls and his stance leans back a bit at the reprimand.

“Sorry.” He mutters, and the stranger cocks his head curiously.

“Perhaps you should save those apologies. After all, who knows what you may lose here, in order to gain what you seek.”

And just like that, he rushes forward, phasing through Sora in a flurry of wind and petals.

_“Sora!”_ Ven calls, as Vanitas suddenly finds himself on his knees on the glass of Sora’s heart station.

_“What was that?”_ He demands breathlessly. _“What did he do?”_

“A world from your memories.” The figure explains, brandishing a card and throwing it with a sharp motion at Sora, who catches it with a mistrustful glare, one fist clutched to his chest where he can still feel Vanitas’ panic.

“Will you use it, Sora? To reunite with those you hold dear?” The man in black almost taunts. “Or will you allow the fear of loss hold you back?”

With that the man vanishes, and though Sora’s countenance does not falter, Ven and Vanitas both know how entirely too close those words strike him.

_“Sora…”_ Ven starts, uncertain, but Sora shakes his head.

“I’ll get Riku back. We’ll get the king back. We’ll get you your own lives again. I won’t lose.. Anything else.” He says with certainty.

Ven chooses not to comment on the fearful tremble in Sora’s heart. Vanitas merely tsk’s disapprovingly.

They walk through the door.

Donald and Goofy being reduced to cards in this place was certainly an unexpected development, and there is a fear that the same might happen to Ven and Vanitas as well. Luckily it’s not, though their power and the length of time they can stay out appears greatly reduced.

The battles are frantic in a way they haven’t been since Vanitas was first teaching young Sora different styles of combat, years ago. 

Finding Traverse Town on the other side of the door came as a shock, but it’s even more so when they meet its residents, who don’t appear to remember Sora and company at all.

It’s Vanitas who clues in first.

_“They’re not real Sora.”_ He says as the group watches Leon walk away. _“This is what he meant by built from your memories. They’re just pale imitations of the real thing.”_

“They’re not.. Real?” Sora asks, and they can feel the sudden loneliness that floods the poor boy at the thought. Ven takes pity on him.

_“They’re memories, so I guess they’re kind of real? But it’s not.. I don’t think that’s actually Leon you were talking to. And that’s not actually Aerith.”_ He indicates the approaching young woman.

“Oh.”

“Did they already tell you?” She asks, not unkindly. Sora blinks, and she points at his chest.

“Listen to them. I wanted to help, but I think you’re in good hands. They can probably tell you more than me now, anyway.”

“Wait, what do you mean?”

“You said this is a castle, right?” She looks around the dark sky and cobblestone walls of Traverse Town. “One that takes and gives. But the heart always knows, and the heart always remembers.”

_“That’s all we are.”_ Vanitas realises all at once._ “We’re just hearts, nothing else. Whatever is happening in this castle can’t affect us.”_

_“Or at least not as much.”_ Ven agrees with a nod. _“We’ve got your back, Sora.”_

Aerith smiles, not privy to the internal conversation and yet almost reacting to it anyway.

“Good luck Sora. And remember to trust them.”

“Sora!” Donald calls, distracting all three of them. When they look back, Aerith is gone.

_“Creepy.”_ Ventus says. _“Reminds me of you.”_

_“Oh shut up.”_ Vanitas rolls his eyes.

Emerging onto the next floor gives Sora a mild sense of deja vu, it’s appearance and layout an exact replica of the floor below. The person from before stands in the centre.

“Well Sora. Did you enjoy meeting your memories?”

_“Cut the crap, what does he want?”_ Vanitas hisses. Sora concurs.

“Yeah. What _ do _ you want?”

“What do you have to give?” The man asks, as if that wasn’t suitably ominous enough, he begins to step forward. Ventus appears in a flash of light even as Sora, Donal, and Goofy all fall into aggressive fighting stances.

_“Something about this guy..”_ Vanitas mutters, but is cut off when a portal appears, and another man appears in the room.

Ventus jerks back, falling out of his ready stance entirely at the sight of him.

“No hogging the hero.” The new person says jovially, catching the card the first man flings at him in response.

“Then perhaps you’d like to test him.” He says, and then vanishes.

“Name’s Axel, got it memorised?” He saunters forward, all deadly confidence.

Ventus shakes his head, floating quickly forwards, trying to sign something. Axel tilts his head, uncomprehending.

“And what’s this? You’ve got some unexplained friends there, kid. I admit, I’m curious.”

Ven shakes his head again, harder. He looks around for something to write but finds nothing, and then summons his keyblade.

Axel jerks back, a flaming chakram appearing in one hand in defence, but straightens when Ven holds it in both hands, trying to show it to him.

He looks at the blade for just a moment too long before shaking his head, refusing to acknowledge the familiarity of it.

“How- no. Neat party trick, but that’s all it is.” He tries to deflect, but it’s a poor attempt as his gaze skitters away from them and proving the lie, something pulling at his expression and making him tense. 

Ventus would have stomped his foot in frustration if he could.

“Ven, do you know this guy?” Sora asks. Axel goes pale, now staring openly at the both of them.

“Ventus..?” Axel’s voice has just the slightest waver to it.

Ven nods, holding up his keyblade once more, as if in proof. Axel’s expression goes blank, and then he scowls.

“That’s impossible. Ven’s a person, not a floating.. Ghost thing.”

Ven holds a hand to his chest, and then puts it to Axels, a silent question there he can’t voice. Axel shoves it away roughly.

“And I’m not.. That kid anymore either." His sour expression morphs into a grin that looks more manic than happy. "So how about we move on, huh?” He lunges forward, chakrams bared.

Sora rolls out of the way with only moments to spare, jarred by the sudden shift in tone, dodging around him and bringing his keyblade up with force. He catches only the tail of Axel’s coat, but it makes Axel dodge directly into Goofy’s charging sheild, which knocks him aside and into Donald’s blizzard.

He spins wildly, fire dropping from his hands in a flurry and singeing the whole group thoroughly. Cure rings through the air a moment later, the rattle of the bells indicating the complete depletion of Donald’s magic. Chakrams flung wide scatter Donald and Goofy to the far sides of the room, but his momentary distraction allows Sora to spring through the flames still licking at the floor to catch Axel solidly across the chest with his keyblade.

Axel grunts roughly as the air leaves him, but he leans with the blow, falling into a roll that he comes back smoothly from. His chakrams appear in hand again, but as he prepares to throw something wraps around him solidly.

It’s Ventus, who has wrapped both arms tightly around the redhead and pinned him. Axel jerks, attempting to escape, and Sora straightens from his battle stance, panting.

“Let me go, you-” Axel growls. Ventus shakes his head, bowed but unrelenting.

“Why are you doing this?” Sora asks. 

“If Ven knows you, you can’t be all bad.” Goofy adds.

Axel goes abruptly still, face pointed down at the ground.

The silence is deafening as the redheads shoulders begin to shake. 

He starts to laugh, sharp and brittle.

“You’d think that, wouldn’t you?” He says finally. It’s not defeat in his voice, but something absolutely self loathing comes through anyway. Darkness erupts around him, and he vanishes, leaving Ventus holding only empty air and a glowing card much like the first.

Ven sinks downwards, curling up as he goes. He vanishes before he hits the ground.

_“Vanitas? Is he okay?”_ Sora asks, knowing Ven will have gone to sleep. Van gives him the emotional equivalent of a shrug.

_“He’s whole and sleeping. That’s the best I got.”_

And that's as good as it's going to get right now, Sora supposes. 

“Who was that guy, Axel? How did Ven know him?”

_“I don’t know. I never met him.”_ Vanitas says, though he seems distracted.

“Are you okay?” Sora takes a moment to pick up the card left behind. He gives a thumbs up to Donald and Goofy, who nod and go talk amongst themselves. 

_“Fine.”_ Van answers curtly. It was as nice as he ever got answering that question. _“But that guy-”_

“Axel?”

_“No. The other one. He felt.. Familiar?”_

“Familiar?”

_“Ugh. I don’t know. It’s stupid. Let’s keep going.”_

“Okay.” Sora is rejoined Donald and Goofy near the door. Donald quirks his head curiously, and Sora just shakes his head, wordlessly affirming that he’s fine, just needed a moment to talk.

Goofy and Donald both nod, and they approach the second door.

It seems much like the first world, familiar places and familiar faces.

At least, it does until Sora doesn’t seem to remember Alice.

“I’m sure we can help.” Sora tells her cheerily, as she relays her trouble with the queen. Vanitas is strangely quiet, but with everything else going on, Sora doesn’t think much of it until he’s presenting his evidence to the Queen and Ventus wakes up.

_“Oh, this place.”_ Ven says. _“I hope it was less confusing this time.”_ He says groggily as he watches from his window. Sora pauses strangely in his presentation, but recovers himself admirably. He continues with the evidence, and soon enough finds himself fighting again, though it’s easily dealt with.

_“He doesn’t remember.”_ Vanitas says quietly. Sora’s swing doesn’t falter, but his breath hitches as he listens to his heart mates talk.

_“He doesn’t remember?”_ Ventus repeats, bewildered. _“At all?”_

_“He’s been treating this whole world like it’s completely new. He doesn’t remember.”_

_“That fast..”_ Ventus murmurs. Sora brings his keyblade down on the last monster with more force than was perhaps necessary. The Queen and Alice both talk, but he’s barely listening. The walk to the exit is silent.

“We’re.. Already forgetting?” He asks as he looks at the glowing doorway. Goofy looks at him, confused.

“Are we?”

“Ven and Vani say.. That we’ve been here before. But I don’t remember it. What else have we already lost?”

“Oh..” Donald puts a hand to his beak in concern.

_“We’re here for you Sora.”_ Ven says, putting as much confidence into it as he could. _“We’ll help you remember.”_

_“We can’t forget. We’ll remind you.”_ Vanitas agrees. Sora lets out a long, slow breath, trying to calm his racing heart.

“Okay. It’s okay. You’ll remember. And if your heart remembers, it’s never gone for good.” And then he steps through the door, Donald and Goofy just behind.

Deep inside his heart, Ventus looks over at Van, both sitting not quite facing each other on the edges of their station. Vanitas meets his gaze levelly, and returns the determined nod Ven sends him.

_“We’ve got your back.”_

No one stops them on the next floor, which sets Vanitas on edge. Hollow Bastion sits on the edge of Goofy’s tongue, but even as Vanitas tells Sora the name he mispronounces it like he’s hearing it for the first time.

_“It’s where you found Kairi.”_ Ventus reminds.

_“And threw the rest of us away into the dark.”_ Vanitas adds harshly, making Ventus and Sora both wince.

_“Well I wasn’t gonna bring up that part…”_

_“We’re here to remember, that means everything.”_ Vanitas says brusquely. _“That includes your fuckups.”_

“I’m sorry.” Sora whispers. Donald is closer and hears him, turning back with concern naked on his features.

“Sora?” He asks.

“What happened, at that castle to free Kairi, the one we were trying to remember. I really.. Scared you all, didn’t I?”

Goofy has picked up on the conversation now too, turning back to them with a soft smile.

“You did, but we know you were only trying to help. It’s okay, Sora.”

He reaches out with one arm, and Sora leans into the hug gratefully.

“Just maybe try not to do it again.” Goofy adds with his usual good humour. Sora chuckles dryly.

“I’ll do my best.”

The next world is much the same, familiar and not, Ven and Vanitas putting out reminders every so often to things they should remember.

_“Second verse, same as the first.”_ Vanitas mutters as they exit back into the empty white halls of Oblivion, making Sora laugh a little, and pass the joke on to Donald and Goofy.

“Gwarsh aren’t we on the third verse though?” Goofy asks, scratching his head. Donald shrugs.

They all chatter throughout the next world, more out of a lingering anxiety to remind each other of anything else they might have forgotten than any other reason.

Donald apparently feels the same way, because he voices his fear of forgetting as they approach the next floor.

“What if we forget our friends? Family?”

Goofy’s face falls for a moment as Donald mentions family, a hand raised to his chest that he then clenches.

“We may forget a lot,” He says, “But we’ll never forget the people truly important to us. I just know it.”

“I hope.. You’re right.” Donald says doubtfully. Sora says nothing. He has Ven and Vani to help with his own memories, but Donald and Goofy? He realises he doesn’t really know much about their pasts beyond what they’ve travelled together. It’s never come up.

And what if he forgets Ven and Vani? Is that possible? Would he eventually hear their voices and not know who was speaking to him?

_“It’ll be okay, Sora.”_ Ven feels his anxiety and reaches back with comfort.

Deep in his heart, Vanitas stares hard at Ventus, knowing the boy is distracting himself from the unanswered questions about Lea as much as he’s genuinely worried about Sora. Ven just shrugs at him.

Sora fists one hand in his shirt above his chest, the closest he can get to showing physical appreciation to his heartmates outside of his own heart. 

They keep going.

The next world proves somewhat troublesome, Cloud shows no restraint even in memories, but they make it through regardless.

“King Mickey. Daisy. Huey, Duey, Louie.” Donald mutters under his breath as they move through the next floor. 

“Donald?” Sora pauses, confused. Goofy seems to understand though, one hand raising to his chest.

“Max.” It’s only one word, and Sora doesn’t know who it is.. but from that alone he can tell that they’re very important to Goofy. 

“We wanna make sure we don’t forget.” Donald says as Sora continues to look confused, and as he speaks realisation dawns on the young boy.

“It’ll be okay, Donald.” Goofy assures. “The people most important.. Will always be right here.” The hand over his chest tightens.

“Riku.” Sora says, his own hand resting over his chest. “Kairi.”

Donald and Goofy both nod with smiles.

“You got it.” Goofy says happily. “The people closest will always be with us in our hearts.”

Inside, Ven sits hard at the edge of his station, heaving a sigh that hitches into something tired and frustrated.

_“It’s really bothering you, isn’t it?”_ Vanitas asks, in a rare moment of empathy. Ven’s brows furrow.

_“I don’t understand. What happened to Lea? How did he get here? Why is he calling himself Axel?”_

“Are you sure it’s him?” Sora asks quietly as he tromps through the top-white halls outside. “It could just be someone like him..”

_“He reacted to Wayward Wind, he knew my name. It’s definitely him.”_

Vanitas watches Ven chew on his bottom lip in absentminded confusion and worry before sighing.

_“I’ll hold him down next time.”_ He says, deliberately keeping his voice rough and brusque with the offer. _“And you can get your answers.”_

Ventus blinks in surprise before his face breaks out into a grateful smile.

_“Thanks, Van.”_  
  
-  
  


“So Axel.” Larxene’s smirk is infuriatingly knowing. “Someone you know?”

“No way.” He huffs. “Even if it was, it wouldn’t matter.”

“Sure seemed like it mattered, the way you reacted.” She pouts in a way far too calculating. “In fact, I’d say it looked like it mattered a great deal.”

“Whatever.”

Like he'd ever admit a weakness so obvious to someone like her.


	2. Heart and Home and Mirrors of Both

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Girls that don't exist, Replica's that do, ghosts living in your heart.. what's a teenage boy to do, really?

They take a break on the next floor, resting against the wall and each taking turns catnapping with rolled coats beneath their weary heads. They don’t know how long they’ve been in this castle now, but it’s long enough they drag from exhaustion, and weariness slows their limbs.

Sora fiddles with Kairi’s charm as Donald and Goofy sleep, his turn on watch.

“I’ll bring him home, Kairi.” He whispers to himself. “And then it’ll just be the three of us again.”

Something flickers against his memory, like he’s forgetting something important…

Donald stirs and yawns.

“My turn.” He grumbles, sitting up. “Get some sleep, Sora.”

He lays down without argument, tiredness taking all fight from him, but even as he lays his head down and near instantly falls asleep he thinks.

_ ‘Who was that girl…?’ _

-

He’s still thinking about it as they go through the next world, his thoughts a whirlwind of emotions as they go through. Ven and Vanitas are silent, confused, but thankfully they don’t interrupt him. It’s not until they make their way towards the next set of tall doors that the fragments of memory solidify.

“That’s right!” He starts. “There was a girl!”

“Sora?” Goofy tilts his head in confusion.

“On the islands with me and Riku, there was another girl.” Sora insists. Ven and Vanitas share a look, Ven confused and Vanitas just straight up doubtful.

_“No there wasn’t, Sora.”_ Ven tries to be gentle, but Sora shakes his head.

“No, no, it was before you guys. We were really little, when she left.”

Ventus looks over at Vanitas, who just shrugs.

“Gwarsh Sora. Do you remember her name?” Goofy asks, and Sora shakes his head.

“No. I feel kinda bad..”

“If you really were that young, that makes sense.” Donald assures. “Do you think this is what that guy meant? To lose is to find?”

“Maybe.” Goofy says. “I wonder what _ we’ll _ find.”

“No way to know except to keep going.” Sora says, and strides towards the door.

Goofy asks well meaning questions about her as they go through the next floor, Donald occasionally chiming in with his own. Sora doesn’t have most of the answers, but sometimes he does, and delights in answering them, whatever little pieces he can remember.

Ventus and Vanitas are quiet, but he can feel the worry coming off them in waves.

-

Vanitas closes his window to the outside for the first time in ages, and a moment later closes Ven’s as well with a sharp gesture.

“Hey-” Ventus protests, but Vanitas just crosses his arms. He doesn’t like not seeing what’s going on any more than Ven does, but they have to talk, and this time he doesn’t want Sora to hear them.

“There’s no girl.”

Ven falls silent.

“Something’s going on and I don’t like it.” Vanitas continues.

“Thanks, Captain Obvious.” Ven rolls his eyes. “I don’t know, he did say he was really little…”

“He was what, four when we showed up? He never once mentioned her to us, and you remember how he gave us entire moment to moment play by plays of his days back then. He hardly _ shut up _ about all his friends. And somehow this girl that was so important to him never came up?”

Ventus’ gaze slips to the ground at their feet. He’s right and he knows it.

“So what do we do?”

Vanitas sighs.

“I don’t know.”

They return to watching over Sora in tense silence. When Larxene appears to taunt the group, it makes Vanitas grit his teeth angrily, and when she launches Sora across the room with a sharp and powerful kick, he takes his form and swipes at her in fury.

She dances out of the way with a laugh. Vanitas is so focused on her he doesn’t see Sora getting up and picking up Kairi’s charm at first.

“What.. is this?” He asks, which finally draws Vanitas’ attention. He can feel Ventus’ confusion from within too.

“Tsk tsk, have you had it this entire time and forgot?” Larxene smiles in a way not comforting at all. “How awful, to forget something so important.”

“It’s Kairi’s.” Ven says, feeling Sora’s distress. “It’s Kairi’s good luck charm, Sora. We’ll help you remember.”

“No.. that’s not it..” Sora shakes his head. “Someone else gave me one too.. Na.. Nami…”

“How heartless, to have even forgotten her name, and with how she misses you too.” Larxene scoffs, picking up the charm from Sora’s distracted hand and dangling in carelessly. “What a piece of junk anyway.” Her fist clenches, and both Sora and Vanitas lurch forward to smack it away from her. Vanitas holds himself protectively between them as Sora clutches the charm to his chest.

“Naminé.” He says. “Her name was Naminé.”

“Sora…” Ven sounds choked. He’s so confused, he doesn’t know what to do.

“No Ven! I remember! We were little and she gave me this to protect me! There was a meteor shower..”

“Ah, and so he remembers. What pathetic amount he can anyway. Poor Naminé, I so look forward to the look on her face when I tell her you had completely forgotten her.”

“She’s here?!” Sora shouts. 

“Wouldn’t you like to know.” Larxene grins, though she’s cut off as Vanitas lunges for her again, utterly fed up with the clear manipulation. She merely laughs, and then vanishes into the darkness.

Vanitas swings his blade at the air futily, wordlessly trying to defuse his anger.

“Sora there was no Naminé, please, I don’t know what’s happening but you have to believe me.” Ventus pleads. Sora shakes his head.

“No, I remember! I do! Why don’t you guys trust _ me _? After everything we’ve been through, I deserve that much!”

Vanitas all but freezes, and under the roiling emotions of anger and helplessness.. Sora can feel the hurt his words have caused.

He doesn’t move, back facing towards Sora.

“I don’t understand what’s happening either, but.. I’m remembering. It’s slow but.. Maybe that’s why you guys can’t feel it.” Sora continues.

“I..” Ventus pauses helplessly. He can feel the determination in the young boy. It hurts him knowing that determination is entirely misplaced.

“..Vani?” Sora reaches out for the still unmoving spectre of his heartmate. The armoured form twitches but doesn’t respond.

“Are you mad?”

Vanitas’ helmet turns, but not enough to truly look at Sora. A moment later his form wavers, and then dissipates into wisps.

“Gwarsh I think he might be mad.” Goofy supplies, and Sora’s shoulders sag.

“Why don’t they believe me?” Sora whispers. Donald and Goofy exchange a look.

“Maybe.. They know something we don’t? Or maybe something about the castle is messing with them differently than us?”

Ventus is silent, which tells Sora that the windows are closed. He feels a fear he’s never experienced before, ever more certain that his heartmates were angry with him and yet unwilling to give in his own position.

“I think I need to talk to them.” Sora says, and then huffs. “All I want to do is keep going, find Naminé but..”

“It’s okay, Sora, we’ve been going for a while anyway.” Goofy says.

“Yeah, it’s time to take a break.” Donald concurs.

Sora smiles, and though it’s small and wan, it’s genuine, lifting both his companions spirits at its sight.

“Thanks, guys.”

-

Sora wakes on his heart station and immediately notices that Vanitas is sitting on the edge, back turned to him and legs dangling over the precipice. His attention is soon caught by Ven, however, who leans in with a clear look of concern.

“We do trust you Sora, really, please believe me, we just-” He starts, but is cut off by a gruff word from Vanitas.

“We knew there was memory fuckery going on here. But it’s more than that now. Trust us on that.” Vanitas says shortly. He doesn’t turn to face Sora, whose face has gone ashen.

“I remember.” He whispers. Ven opens his mouth but pauses when Sora shakes his head. “No, I _ remember _. That charm- Naminé- it’s not there.”

It had looked like a paoupou, out in the waking world, but here in his heart.. he looks at the memory and sees the shells it's actually made of.

Could something do that? Trick his very eyes so easily?

“Something is rearranging your memories, inserting this Naminé character into other people’s places.” Vanitas says. “It probably would have worked if it weren’t for us.”

“It feels so real, when I’m awake.” Sora admits. “I’m sorry, Vani.”

Vanitas shrugs, but he still doesn’t turn. Sora stands, and then sits next to him. Ventus doesn’t move from his position some distance away, realising that this was a more private conversation.

“Are you mad?”

“No. Maybe. I’m always mad, what does it matter?”

“‘Course it matters.” Sora replies with conviction. He'd messed up, it was only right that he try to fix it as best he can.

The silence stretches, thin and tense. Sora kicks his feet idly.

“Yeah.” Vanitas answers at length. “I guess I am mad. I’m mad because it hurt.”

Sora leans over, resting his head against Vanitas’ shoulder. “I should have listened. I guess I got bit angry when it felt like you weren’t listening to me.”

“Any other situation kid, we’re happy to listen to you.” Vanitas huffs. “Especially Ventus. But here? We know whatever is going on here isn’t affecting us but it is affecting you, which means you need to trust us when we tell you something is wrong.”

“I’m sorry.” Sora says again. “It just feels so real, I couldn’t imagine how it could be fake.”

“Well, that’s probably because it is real.” Vanitas says with his typical bluntness. Sora blinks, sitting up in surprise.

“Are you gonna get all metaphysical about how it is real because it feels real?” Ventus calls from across the way, unable to keep himself from interrupting. Vanitas pokes his tongue out at him petulantly.

“No. Though you’re not wrong. Nah, I’m talking about the meteor shower and stuff.”

“Huh?” Sora tilts his head, bewildered.

“No, idiot.” Vanitas huffs, and then reaches over and flicks at Sora’s crown necklace, which jingles cheerily. “Where’d you get this?”

“This?” Sora looks down. “I dunno, I’ve had it almost forever, it’s almost like a good.. Luck… charm…”

“Mh.” Vanitas hums.

“So Naminé-”

“No.” Vanitas interrupts. “There is no Naminé and there never was. But there _ was _ a meteor shower, and you _ did _get scared. Riku gave it to you.”

“Riku did…?” Sora mutters.

“It was really cute.” Ventus adds from where he’s now lying down on the stained glass of the station. “I think you had that memory on loop playing for us for weeks. I’m kinda surprised you forgot.”

“He was what, four?” Vanitas finally turns to look and Ventus. “Besides I think you should be the last person to judge someone for forgetting something.”

“Hey, like you’re one to talk either.” Ventus shoots back.

Sora sits still and quiet, one hand wrapped around the necklace around his neck.

“So what do we do?” He asks finally. “Why are we going through this castle if it’s all fake?”

“Beat up the people who’re doing this.” Vanitas says.

“See what happens?” Answers Ventus at the same time. 

Sora laughs.

“Seriously though,” Ventus goes on. “Why _ don’t _ we just leave? Vanitas was right, this is a trap, and I don’t like what it’s been doing to Sora’s memories.”

“Would that fix what’s already been changed?” Vanitas argues. “If we keep going and beat the answers out of the ringleaders, we could find a way to reverse it.”

“If it’s them- They said it was the castle doing it.” Ven says, though he looks doubtful.

“Yeah you believe that as much as I do. Which for the record isn’t even slightly. If that was the case, why aren’t _ they _ affected? No, it’s something else for sure.”

“I think we should keep going.” Sora says. “I just.. Have this feeling that there's something important here.”

“I hate that on that we can agree.” Vanitas grumbles. Ventus chuckles.

“Same though. I almost feel like the castle is… calling me, you know?”

“Calling?” Vanitas asks, confused.

“Y.. Yeah? It doesn’t for you?”

“No. The one guy with the flowers is bugging me but I can’t place it. I got nothing from the castle itself.”

“Weird.” Sora hums. “For me.. It felt like Riku might be there.”

“It’s all different things.” Ventus gnaws on his thumb thoughtfully. “And since me and Vanitas are immune to the memory stuff that’s been happening…”

“There’s something else going on.” Vanitas finishes.

“I’ll keep an eye out.” Sora nods, standing, and then grins sheepishly. “Though maybe.. Remind me sometimes.”

“I’m sure we can manage that.” Ventus chuckles, and with that Sora vanishes back into the land of the waking.

-

It’s a surprise to all of them when Riku is waiting for them on the very next floor.

“Riku!” Sora laughs in delight, running up to the other boy, though he pauses when the reaction is a flinch instead of the returned happiness he’d expected.

“You seem.. Happy to see me..” Riku says in a subdued tone, like that wasn’t what he’d expected.

“Riku, of course!” Sora has to fight the pull of false memories, the ones that try to cover those important memories with a fog, but with Vanitas and Ventus whispering constant reminders, he manages to keep himself on track. “We’ve been looking all over for you! I’m so glad!”

“They said..” 

“Was it those black coat guys?” Sora guesses. “They’re liars, and there’s a bunch of weird memory stuff going on here, I’ve been really lucky to have Ven and Vani to help keep it all straight. But enough about that, this is great Riku, we can go home now!”

Riku jerks away fully this time, anger in his features.

“So you’d just leave Naminé alone here?” He demands. Sora shakes his head.

“It’s the weird memory stuff. Ven and Vani aren’t affected, Riku. There is no Naminé, even if we remember her.”

“Then who’s the girl upstairs?” He asks, and that makes Sora pause.

“There’s a girl upstairs?”

“You saw her?” Donald asks, suspicious. Riku nods, still angry but mostly confused.

“Yeah.”

“... is she okay?” Sora is able to read between the lines and doesn’t like what he might have found. 

Riku shrugs. 

“She’s not hurt.. for now. But I don’t think she can leave either.”

“Gwarsh, that doesn’t sound good at all.” Goofy adds. Sora takes on a steely expression.

“Then we rescue her.” He says without hesitation. “If she’s scared then we should try to help her, right?”

“Can ya tell us about who’s holding her captive?” Goofy asks. Riku hesitates, fists clenching and unclenching uncertainly.

“... She’s trapped here. I don’t know why. I think the people in the black coats might have something to do with it, but I don’t actually know much about them.”

_“Makes sense.”_ Vanitas supplies from where he watches on the heart station, sitting next to Ven cross legged. _“They’re certainly not winning any awards for good deeds so far. Might have something to do with the memory business too- hard to set a trap without bait.”_

“We’re agreed then.” Sora nods. “We wanna help. What can we do?”

Riku looks flustered.

“What do you even think you can do? You don’t know what you’re up against.”

“Gawrsh that ain’t never stopped Sora before.” Goofy says jovially, placing both hands on Sora’s shoulders from behind. “And if we all stick together, then I’m sure we can take on whatever this castle can throw at us!”

“Tch.” Riku looks away, angry look returning. “I never asked for your help. I can rescue Naminé by myself.”

“But Riku-” Sora tries to call out, but the other boy has already turned and started to walk away.

_“Oh for the love of-”_ Vanitas rolls his eyes and manifests in front of him, digging one claw into the boys shoulder and turning him back towards Sora.

“What the- What is that thing?” Riku jumps away, summoning his weapon and pointing it at Vanitas, who freezes at the odd reaction.

“It’s Vanitas.” Sora says slowly. “His heart is in mine. Do you remember?”

Vanitas leans forward, pressing into Riku’s space as the boy leans back. The helmeted head tilts, almost like a sniff, and then the form vanishes entirely as Vanitas returns to Sora’s heart.

“Vani?” Sora asks, but there’s silence.

“See we have all kinds of help! So we should stick together.” Donald makes his own attempt at winning Riku over. Riku, for his part, looks at Sora with an eerily blank expression.

“This place messes with our memories..” He says, almost as if to himself. He shakes his head. “Whatever. I guess you’re right. Can’t go wrong with another meat sheild.”

_“Hey!”_ Ventus protests, and though Sora wants to say something similar, he refrains, sticking to a simple scowl.

-

The newly expanded group moves towards the stairs leading upwards, and Ventus huffs.

“Gosh, he’s sure prickly today.” He mutters, looking up as he feels Vanitas step up beside him, already awake again from his short formation time. He gestures for Ventus to close the window, which he does.

“What’s up?”

“That’s not Riku.”

“What?” Vents is taken aback, and Vanitas stares down at him with deadly seriousness. “Then who is it? One of the black coats?”

“I don’t know. It’s… Weird.” Vanitas gnaws on one lip in agitation, a habit he’d somehow managed to pick up from one of Sora’s mothers.

“Weird how?” Ventus prompts, turning his body to face Vanitas more fully without bothering to stand. Vanitas hums.

“It looks like him, seems like him… even his dark feels like him, but it’s all off, just slightly. Especially the dark. There’s no trace of Ansem left at all.”

“That’s a good thing, right?” Ventus asks, confused. Vanitas shakes his head.

“Sure, if it were possible. But after something like that, Riku is always going to have remnants of it on him. It changed how his dark feels on every level.”

“Oh..” Ventus looks down, sad. Vanitas huffs.

“It’s not a bad thing. It’s not a good thing either. It just is. Don’t get so down about it.”

“So then this Riku..”

“His dark feels like.. Like if someone took Riku’s dark from before Ansem got his hands on it, and then cranked it up to eleven. It’s the same, but unnatural at the same time.”

“Huh.” Ventus hums. “So what do we do? Do we tell Sora?”

“No. Not yet.” Vanitas asserts. “I want to figure out this fake Riku’s game first, whatever it is, and we both know Sora can’t lie. We can keep a better eye on him with us at least.”

Ventus nods, though he’s not thrilled with the idea of not telling Sora.

“Okay. Speaking of..” He pulls up his window to the outside. “How ya doing, Sora?”

“You guys done your private talk?” Sora asks, jibing but good naturedly. Privacy was hard to come by when you shared a heart, he didn’t begrudge them what little they could find, and them vice versa.

“Who are you talking to?” Riku asks, and Sora gives him a confused look.

“Ven and Vani. My heartmates, remember?”

Riku is quiet.

“It’s okay if you don’t. This place does weird memory stuff, so you must have just forgot.”

“Must have.” Riku mutters.

The next world goes by even faster with Riku there to help, though it startles Sora in a bad way the first time he calls on the darkness.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea, Riku?” Sora asks quietly after the battle ends and their card forms are released. “Last time…”

“Last time was different.” Riku says stubbornly. “I can control it now.”

Sora gnaws on his lip, and Vanitas feels the unspoken question.

“It.. is different.” Vanitas admits, grudgingly. “Past that is up to him. But if he hurts you I’m coming for him.”

“He won’t hurt me again.” Sora asserts, and then smiles brightly in Riku’s direction. “Right, Riku?”

Riku blinks, a faint blush crossing pale cheeks. 

“R.. Right.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ff fanfare music: R(epl)iku joins the party!
> 
> the ripples are starting to spread outward.


	3. Ripples in the Pond

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A conscience is a hard thing to reinvent

They continue upwards. Ventus is quiet, and only grows moreso as they continue on. Vanitas silently checks in on him, but is waved off each time. Eventually even Sora notices, however.

“Ven?” He asks. The group is resting between floors, each taking a turn on watch so they can get some sleep. Riku’s head is down and his eyes are closed, but Vanitas doubts he’s actually asleep.

_“I’m here, Sora.”_ Ven says quietly.

“Are you okay? You seem.. I dunno.”

_“I’m fine. It’s just this place. The call keeps getting louder. I feel like I can barely hear you guys sometimes.”_

“Maybe we _ should _ go, if it’s hurting you. Riku’s strong, he could probably rescue that girl with Donald and Goofy’s help.” Sora says, though it’s clear he’s not a fan of the idea. He never was the sort to leave behind someone in need.

_“No, I’m fine._” Ventus is of the same mind. _“If we can help, we should. I’ll be fine, I’m just… distracted.”_

_“All else fails I shove him down into the beach and he can stay there until we get out of this castle.”_ Vanitas supplies, prompting an offended ‘hey!’ from Ventus.

Sora gives a little laugh, and it’s only then that the two realize how many days it’s been since they heard a genuine one from the boy.

This place is getting to him too. He can only remember Kairi’s face when he’s asleep now, and that scares him more than he cares to admit. Who will he lose next? Riku? His mothers?

He tries not to let himself dwell on it.

The next floor finds them face to face with an older man with long dirty blond hair and slightly manic look to his eyes.

“Ah there you are. Defying predictions and yet fulfilling it at the same time. How interesting.”

“Who are you?” Donald demands. The man ignores him.

“But enough is enough, I have collected enough data and I cannot have too many variables introduced at this juncture. Come, Riku.”

“What? No way.” Riku growls. The man scoffs.

“Defiance? Fascinating, but irrelevant. You would put young Naminé at risk just to sate your false sense of righteousness?”

Sora falters at the thought of them hurting someone because of them, but Riku roars, dashing forward. His sword swings hard, but the man vanishes before it can connect, reappearing before the next set of doors.

“Very well then.” He scoffs, dropping a card. “How medieval, I do hope these memories are worth it.”

“Memories?” Donald asks.

“Of course, from deep within _ you _ Sora.. Or rather, part of you.” He smirks, and then disappears into a swirl of darkness.

Riku, who’s closer to the door, picks up the card. He glances it over and shrugs, handing it off to Sora as he approaches.

“Recognize it?”

Sora looks at the little cartoon world embossed on its surface.

“No, but that doesn’t mean much right now. Ven, Vani?”

_“Never seen it.”_ Vanitas confirms. _“We’d remember a clocktower like that.”_

Ven is silent.

“Well, it’s our only card left so..” Sora says.

“I guess we gotta check it out. C’mon fellas, let’s go.” Goofy says with his usual aplomb, and the group heads for the waiting doors.

The other side is peaceful, almost dreamlike. Even the swarms of heartless can’t shake the feel of warm and lazy afternoons from this place. Sora thinks he probably would have enjoyed it were it not for the sense that everything here was fake and someone was trying to tell him something that may or may not be true.

_“This place feels familiar too.”_ Ven’s voice is quiet, almost wispy.

“Ven?” Sora asks. He sees an approaching shadow and scales a nearby pillar so he can have a moment to talk.

_“I’m okay. It’s different from the castle. It’s so strong there, this is like… like if a friend told me about a place once, but I’d never been there myself till now.. And somehow it still feels familiar just because of how they described it.”_

_“I hope you know that doesn’t make even the slightest bit of sense.”_ Vanitas says flatly. Sora gives a little laugh.

“Everything about this place is weird. What’s one more, really?”

The reach an old mansion, and there the man is again. The others are released from the cards, though none of them relinquish battle stance.

“Memories are tricky things, are they not? Deceptive and yet they hold truth. But we are getting distracted, this experiment has reached its end, and I would like my resources returned.” The man says.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, but let Naminé go.” Riku waves his sword sharply. The man laughs.

“You think to threaten me? Vexen? I created you!”

“What?” Riku staggers, and Sora takes a sharp breath.

_“I knew it.”_ Vanitas mutters, and Sora feels like he’s been gut punched.

“R.. Riku?”

“I’m not a-” Riku shakes his head with a jerking motion. “I’m not a fake!”

He leaps at Vexen, who summons a shield and a wall of ice, deflecting it handily. Sora, despite his emotional turmoil jumps in to help, and the battle begins in earnest.

Despite the fraught emotions from both participants, Sora and Riku fight in sync, keeping Vexen busy in his attempts to fend off attacks from both sides. Despite that it’s still a hard battle, Vexen’s mastery over ice nothing to laugh at as walls of it sprout from the ground and sharp spikes of it spray across the ground.

Vexen leaps back, panting, and summons a dark portal in an attempt to escape, but Riku is faster, blocking his path and knocking the shield from his grasp. Vexen snarls, ice crackling to life around his fist as he backhands the boy.

Riku flies into the portal and vanishes.

“Riku!” Sora shouts, and Vexen huffs in annoyance.

“Well then.” He grumbles. “Now that _ that’s _ taken care of-”

“Haven’t you said enough for one day, Vexen?” Sora whirls as a new voice comes from behind, revealing Axel. He’s leaning against a tree, arms crossed and deliberately casual.

No one is fooled.

“I’d congratulate you on how badly this plan of yours went up in flames but, well..” He chuckles to himself, as if to a joke only he understands. Sora, Donald, and Goofy glare, but Vexen has taken on a worried complexion.

“Why are you here?” Vexen asks, voice hard and tinged with a slight hint of fear.

“You’ve been deemed a liability. I’m just here.. To take out the trash.” Axel shrugs, pushing himself off the tree with an exaggerated motion.

“Wait, what do you-” Sora starts to ask, but Vanitas has already formed, placing himself between him and Axel.

“No.. No! You can’t, please I’ve-” Vexen stutters in fear.

Axel gives a smile devoid of all emotion.

“Goodbye.”

The snap of fingers is sharp in the peaceful quiet of the manor courtyard. The burst of flame and heat makes Sora flinch. Vanitas’ only move is to stand between Sora and the lick of the flames, silent, stunned.

Axel brushes his hands against his coat as if flicking away errant dirt, utterly unbothered by what he’d just done.

It takes a long moment for what just happened to sink in, as Sora stares at the empty, charred place that Vexen had been standing a moment before. Revulsion rises in his throat, thick and sour, and he can’t tell how much of it is his and how much is Ven’s.

“Why would you do that?” He bursts out, confused and angry and _ something_. His voice barely feels like it belongs to him, distant and numb. “How _ could _ you?!”

Axel shrugs.

“Welcome to the world kid.”

_“You’re not Lea.”_ Ventus says, but Sora repeats the words dutifully as tears start to fall. _“Lea would never do this.”_

Axel’s gaze skitters away.

“I told you that already.”

“Where’s Isa? Or did you murder him too?” Sora doesn’t know who they’re talking about but he bites Ven’s words out anyway, anger and hurt both his own and Ven’s overpowering any confusion about the who’s and what’s.

Axel finally reacts, flinching back before composing himself. When he looks back to Sora his eyes are hard and his fists clenched.

“Don't you dare assume anything about him. You don’t know what we’ve been through.”

“And that makes this okay?” Sora shouts, needing no input from Ven this time.

Axel shakes his head.

“Sometimes it’s not about what’s right. You’ll learn.” And then he vanishes into the dark.

Deep in the heart stations, Ventus takes several jerking steps away from the little window outside, emotions whirling chaotically in his chest, unable to be contained.

_ “AAAAAAHHHHHHHH!” _

He yells, as long and loud as he can manage, anything to release the anger and hurt that feel _ too much _ in his chest. He curls up against the cool glass beneath him, hands pressed against the hairline cracks that have been present since Sora’s sacrifice, trying not to cry as he realizes that the boy he’d once made friends with so long ago had changed to be almost unrecognizable.

Outside Vanitas continues to stand silently, unable to help relieve the chaotic emotions around him, and unable to relate. He stands vigil, fist clenched tightly around his blade, keeping his eyes on their surroundings as Sora stumbles towards the tree line.

Donald and Goofy, worried and silent through the whole exchange, follow. Goofy rubs his back as the boy retches, and Donald pulls his hair away from his face.

“Are you okay, Sora?” Donald asks when it looks like he might be done. Sora opens his mouth, but then his lip trembles and he gags again. There’s nothing left to come up, so it’s just a series of aborted motions, but it’s clear he’s not quite processing it yet.

“C’mon.” Goofy tugs on Sora’s arm, leading him away. “Let’s find a place to set up camp, huh?”

Sora nods, feeling wrung out and raw, letting Goofy tug him along without resistance. Vanitas floats along behind, keeping an eye out for heartless or anything strange, covering them as the rest focus on Sora. They find the exit to the world nearby thankfully, and as soon as they step into the white halls of Castle Oblivion Donald sets their packs down and starts pulling out supplies. He hands Goofy a container of water that the Guard Captain then helps Sora drink. 

Sora himself is completely out of it. He drinks the water and when presented with his sleeping roll he curls up in it without a word and goes to sleep.

Donald and Goofy exchange a worried look. Goofy lets out a sigh as quietly as he can, and starts setting up the little portable burner to make some food. It would be no cuisine, but he hopes he has enough stuff to make one of Sora’s favourites for when he wakes.

Vanitas stays formed, a silent vigil he refuses to leave even as his edges waver and it’s clear he’s reaching the limits of his staying power.

Donald looks up at him, fidgeting with his staff.

“Do you think he’ll be okay?”

Vanitas casts his gaze at the sleeping boy. He’s talking with Ven, he can tell despite the veil currently up between them, feeling the raw and unchecked emotions roiling within.

He ducks his head, both an uncertain answer and a nod.

Eventually.

Donald sighs.

“It’s always hard, seeing someone…” Goofy trails off, stirring the little pot idly. “Especially the first time.”

“He’s too young.” Donald says, anger entering his tone. “It’s-” and then he deflates. “He’s too _young_.”

“We’ll be here for him. We’ve dealt with all this before.” Goofy asserts. Donald nods.

Captain of the Guard and Royal Wizard they may be, but they’ve seen far more than even their stations imply.

“Of course we’ll be there for him!” 

Goofy looks up at Vanitas.

“Gawrsh, he’s probably gonna start having nightmares. We’ll do what we can out here, but I don’t suppose you guys can help in there?”

Vanitas nods. Of course he would. He was more than familiar with nightmares.

“Don’t try to just pull him out though!” Donald squawks. “It’ll just disorientate him. You gotta reassure him that everything’s okay, tell him where he is.”

Vanitas quirks his head in a silent question. Goofy nods.

“We don’t know exactly how Sora’s gonna prod- proced-”

“Process!”

“Process this.” Goofy nods to Donalds correction. “It could be totally different, but we’re gonna try our best to help him through it.”

Vanitas looks between Donald and Goofy, taking in their sad but still solidly determined expressions, and then nods, finally allowing himself to fade back into the depths of Sora’s heart.

Goofy returns to stirring the shrimp stew. Donald pulls out a little notebook and starts to write.

Neither of them say anything for a long time.

-

When Sora goes to sleep he expects to be wakened right away, so he’s somewhat surprised to fall into dreams and true sleep, troubled and discordant though they were, for a long while before he’s roused onto his heart station. 

When he does finally wake on his heart station he finds Ven curled up looking despondent near his feet. 

He wants to comfort him, but Sora himself still feels unsettled and uncomfortable and isn’t quite sure what to say. 

He sits next to Ven quietly. Ven sniffles. 

“Did I ever show you those memories, of Lea and Isa?”

“I don’t remember.” Sora answers honestly. Ven had shown him a lot of memories when he was young, but it had tapered off as he’d gotten older and the memories had both worn thin and started feeling like one of the few privacies his heartmates still had. He glances over at Vanitas’ station, dim and empty, indicating he was still outside. Sora wonders how long he’s been out. 

Ventus doesn’t move past raising one hand to pull up one of their memory windows. The memory starts to play, a play fight between him and a jovial red haired boy as his blue haired friend watched on, shaking his head at their antics. 

There’s gray and red at the edges of the memory, age making it fuzzy and recent events leaving it tainted. Ven curls tighter as they watch the short memory on loop. 

“He seemed nice.” Sora says at length. Little Lea in the window grins in a way both familiar and not to Sora. 

“I didn’t know him very long.” Ven admits. “But I thought… he didn’t seem like a bad person. I thought we were friends.”

Sora gnaws on his lip. 

_ ‘You don’t know what we’ve been through-‘ _

“I’m sorry Ven.”

“Everything’s changed. I didn’t think about it but… what if Aqua and Terra..? I still don’t know what happened to them. What if they’ve changed too?”

Sora doesn’t know how to answer that. Vanitas fades into existence on top of his own platform, asleep. 

“We’ll find them. You’ll still be friends.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah.” He wasn’t. “I’m sorry I didn’t spend much time looking for them before, I know how much you miss them.”

Ven shrugs, but he’s smiling, if sadly. 

“It’s okay, you were busy looking for Riku and Kairi’s body. I was worried about them too.”

“We’ll find them. I promise.” Sora says with feeling, determination quickly supplanting his previous despair. The discomfort still lurked beneath the surface, but for now it could be ignored in the face of a new mission. He pauses, uncertain.

“Do you think Riku’s okay?”

“Sora…” Ven starts, weariness in his voice. Sora shakes his head.

“I know what Vex- what that man said, but….”

“It’s not Riku.” Vanitas voice comes across the open space of the stations. He comes out of the limp float and lands solidly on both feet as he wakes, stretching.

“You shouldn't be awake yet.” Sora says, sidestepping what Vanitas had said. Vanitas scowls, unhappy at being ignored.

“I’ll sleep when I’m dead. Sora, did you hear me? I don’t know who that was, but it wasn’t Riku.” He hops from his own station on to Sora’s, walking towards where Sora and Ven still sit.

“I know, I heard you.” Sora shakes head. “But.. he was _ someone _. And he was trying to help. Isn’t that enough?”

Vanitas casts his glance away, wanting to tell him no but aware of the hypocrisy if he did.

“You knew.” Sora’s voice is accusing. Vanitas winces and says nothing. “Why?”

Vanitas doesn’t know what to say.

“We weren’t completely sure at first.” Ven comes to his rescue, a better friend than Vanitas ever has been for him. “It was… weird. We didn’t want to start anything we didn’t have to.”

Sora is quiet as he considers that, and then nods.

“Okay.” He holds a hand up to Vanitas as a peace offering. _ ‘Score even?’ _ his look seems to say.

Vanitas takes it, and nods.

_ Even. _

“We need to find him.” Sora continues as if nothing at all had happened, and the awkwardness was smoothed over just like that.

“We have no idea where he went.” Ven points out. “Those dark portals could go anywhere.”

“I doubt it’s far.” Vanitas huffs, giving in to his more goody two shoes compatriots. “They all seem to be centred around this place in some way. Chances are he’s still in the castle.”

It was worth it to see Sora’s countenance brighten just slightly.

“We’ll keep going then, find this girl, find the.. Other Riku, and then we’ll get out of here.”

“And hopefully get to beat up some black robes on the way.” Vanitas grins viciously. Even Ven chuckles as the plan is laid before them.

Sora lays down for more proper sleep. Ven and Vanitas remain where they are.

The quiet stretches between them.

“... I’ll hold him down better next time.” Vanitas mutters eventually. Ventus blinks, and then remembers their previous conversation about Lea.

He laughs, a real one this time. Of course Vanitas couldn’t just apologize for falling through like a normal person.

“We both will.”

-

Naminé waits.

The room is quiet.

She doesn’t know what she’s waiting for. After it became apparent that despite her tampering, Sora wasn’t fooled, she had all but been tossed aside by most of the adults. She wonders what happened to the boy who thought he was Riku.

Her hands tighten on the sketchbook at the thought.

Whatever happened would be her fault, wouldn’t it…?

Steps approach. She doesn’t need to look up to know who they belong to.

“Go.”

She startles and looks up at the unexpected proclamation. Axel’s impassive face looks back.

“But Marluxia..” She starts. Axel frowns. It’s so unlike what she’s come to expect from him.

“He won’t be coming for you… one way or another.” She wants him to elaborate, but is afraid of the answer. “Get out of here.”

It takes her only a moment to muster up her courage, and then bolt for the door.

Axel is alone in the room.

“It’s no wonder he doesn’t…” He trails off, talking to himself. “I don’t know what the right thing is anymore.”

The empty room has no answer for him.

-

The next floor is eerily quiet, and it sets the whole group on edge.

“Well, haven’t _ you _ become quite the hassle.”

Larxene’s voice seems to come from all around before the swirl of darkness appears at the top of the short flight of steps, and Larxene’s distinct form steps from it.

She cocks her hip, disgust crossing her features and making itself at home there.

“Things downstairs have gone _ completely _ off the rails, and _ somehow _ it’s your fault.”

“Huh?” Sora asks. Donald and Goofy are equally flummoxed.

“Not that it matters to you.” She huffs, and lightning crackles around her fists, knives appearing between her knuckles. “The plan has failed, which means we’re done with you.”

Sora sinks into a ready stance. She smirks.

“Lucky you.”

She launches at them, all terrifying speed and the sharp sting of electricity. The peach fuzz hair across his arms stands on end as the static fills the air, and Sora can barely throw himself to the side fast enough to get out of the way. Vanitas forms next to him a moment later, keyblade at the ready.

Sora had fought her once before, but somehow she was even faster now, darting from corner to corner with little rhyme or reason to try and predict her moves. Donald attempts a spell but it sputters out before it can reach her as she dodges out of it’s reach. 

It’s as much luck as it is planning that Sora brings his keyblade up to block instead of dodge, halting her in her tracks for only a moment. She dodges away again, but a plan forms in his mind, and from the way Vanitas raises his blade just a little higher, he’s pretty sure Van has the same one.

It takes some coordination. Larxene never attacks from the same direction twice, and blocking instead of dodging is risky at best. If he judges the angle or direction wrong even slightly it’s all too likely she’ll slip past his weapon and score some kind of lethal hit on him. Even as it is Sora already sports a number of bruises and scorch marks that Donald does his best to cure on the fly.

And then it happens; they get the perfect angle, Sora locks his Keyblade with her knives, holding her in place just a moment longer than normal, and Vanitas is there behind her before she can recover.

He brings his blade down hard, with all the force his armoured form can manage.

It connects hard, and Larxene is flung away from Sora, hitting the ground hard several feet away.

She doesn’t stay still, shoving a hand underneath herself and attempting to get up. She can’t quite manage it, form flickering and fading at the edges.

“No… No….” She mutters. Sora pants hard, watching, waiting for the next trick. “I’m not supposed to die here. I can’t- not to a bunch of losers like-!”

And then she’s gone.

Sora still feels sick as he watches her vanish, but he pushes through it. She was trying to kill him. He didn’t like it, but he could put it aside for nightmares to deal with later.

He's on a mission.

Focus on the mission.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Axel is taking a great deal less joy from all this chaos as compared to canon, Sora's not dealing well with all the murder, Donald and Goofy are doing their best by their child soldier son, and Ven is really trying to ignore whatever is pulling at him in this castle.
> 
> Vanitas is just trying to hold everyone together, ironically enough.


	4. "Welcome to my Parlour"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter comes to a close, but questions remain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter a day early because i'm roadtripping to my in-laws for american thanksgiving the next couple days and i didn't want to deal with trying to post on mobile :P

The next floor continues to be deathly silent aside their hurried footsteps.

A swirl of darkness opens, this time off to the side near one of the decorative white flower vases, and out stumbles-

“Riku!” Sora shouts, rushing forward. The other boy leans hard against the white planter, looking up with hope instinctively crossing his features before it seems to catch up to him and he winces.

“Are you okay, Riku?” Sora asks. Silver hair splays as the boy shakes his head.

“I- I’m not- Don’t call me that.” He says, voice rough. “You heard Vexen. I’m not him. I’m not _anyone.”_

“You are someone.” Sora insists. “And.. Maybe you’re not Riku, but that’s okay! We can still be friends.”

The boy lets out a startled laugh at Sora’s bluntness.

“I don’t think you get it.”

“Do _ you _?” Sora returns, and the other boy has to admit he has him there.

“Gwarsh, are you okay? Where did that there portal take ya?” Goofy steps forward to steady him as the boy starts to lose his grip on the vase. Donald calls out a cure and he stands a little straighter.

“It took me to one of the other floors. Figured out how to summon them myself, but aiming them is…” He trails off. “I’m trying to get to Naminé, on the top floor.”

“Us too.” Sora nods. “That hasn’t changed. She deserves to get out of here too. We’re almost there, so uh.. Maybe we should walk the rest of the way.” Sora tries to frame is as gently as he can, but teal eyes narrow at the implied insult anyway.

_“Yeah don’t let him lead you into a portal.”_ Vanitas snorts from within Sora’s heart. _“He has no idea what he’s doing.”_

“Oh that’s a great idea!” Sora lights up, startling his companions. “Vanitas could give you tips on portals later!”

_“I said no such thing!”_ Vanitas protests, but the boy who isn’t Riku actually lights up a little.

“That’d be.. Nice.”

“Great.” Sora grins, completely ignoring Vanitas’ continued grumbling.

“What should we call you?” Donald asks. The silver haired boy pauses, uncomfortable. He clearly hadn’t thought about it.

“I found-” He hesitates. “There were notes. About me. What I am. I’m a replica. I guess just call me that?”

“Replica?” Sora tilts his head with a frown, not a fan of using that as a name. Goofy shakes his head.

“Now that won’t do at all.” Goofy says. The group starts walking, too aware that someone is waiting for them, but they can talk as they move. “Would ya like us to give some suggestions? Maybe we can help!”

“Yeah!” Sora cheers, enthused by the suggestion. “How about um- Sierra? Orrrr Daichi? Tierra? Oh! What about Zvonimir?”

“_Where _ are you getting all these names?”

“Hey, names are cool!”

The replica boy just shakes his head and says nothing as Sora continues to rattle off names, Donald, Goofy, and Ven all giving their own suggestions whenever Sora stops to breathe.

Vanitas is quiet as he watches the group, lost in thought.

The group is brought to a screeching halt as the open the doors to the next floor and something runs at full tilt into the replica, knocking him back on his heels.

“Naminé!” He gasps, surprised. The girl looks up in surprise and fear, and before she can respond a gust of wind and petals blows about them.

“I see you’ve found the rejects. I’m afraid it will not avail you.” The slow, deep voice announces. The man in the black robe stalks up, massive pink scythe in hand, like a reaper on its way to finish the job.

The replica takes Naminé’s hand and pulls her away from the man, putting himself between her and her assailant. The man laughs, reaches up, and pulls down his hood.

“I suppose I should introduce myself. My name is Marluxia.”

Inside Sora’s heart, Vanitas is startled when Ven sinks to his knees, clutching his head.

_“No.. No that’s not right- that’s not-”_ He mutters.

“Ven?” Sora whispers, not taking his eyes off the man now known as Marluxia.

_“Focus Sora, this guy is trouble. I’ll take care of Ven.”_ Vanitas says, closing the window. He hates not being able to see, but he gets the feeling Sora won’t be able to afford distractions right now.

_“No bring it back!”_ Ven lurches upright, reaching out to pull up another window. Vanitas grabs his arm. _“I know him- I know-!”_

And then he topples over, unconscious.

Vanitas sighs.

_“Yeah, I know we do.”_ He says quietly, arranging the other so as not to be quite so uncomfortable when he wakes. _“I don’t think he’s quite the same though.”_

And then he pushes outward, and summons himself onto the physical plane.

The whole floor is _ chaos_.

Wind and razor sharp petals fly around the space, along with cards and other detritus. Sora skids under the strike of a scythe, missing it by inches, and Marluxia doesn’t react except to tighten his frown at the miss.

Three quick jabs are all Sora can manage before the scythe can come around again. Donald casts aero, though there isn’t much it can do against the buffeting winds. Goofy stands over the replica and Naminé, shield raised in protection of their fallen forms. He doesn’t know what happened there, but it doesn’t matter.

He swings his keyblade around to block the wide arc of the scythe, halting it before it’s dangerously sharp tip can come near Sora, who dives in again to swipe at the much larger man.

Marluxia staggers back with a grunt, and then raises one hand ominously.

“Very well, let’s get serious then.” He says, and then a figure rises from the floor.

It’s not the strangeness of the summon that stops Vanitas in his tracks, or the fact that it looks like a person.

It’s the twinge of memory, buried so far below he can barely feel it. A memory of a memory of someone he doesn’t think he ever met.

The summon looks as though it’s made of stone, eyes indistinct and face impassive. He remembers her hair, splayed across the ground.

(_where was that? The building is so dark-) _

It raises its arms, bladed and dangerous, and brings them down on their motley group. Goofy deflects them easily enough, and Vanitas flies over the swing, but Sora isn’t quite fast enough, crying out as the very edge of one catches him across his ribs.

Vanitas feels rage boil in him like an old friend, and brings his keyblade down.

It’s a short fight after that.

It’s Sora who strikes the final blow though, slipping under the swinging scythes as Vanitas comes down from above and bringing his Keyblade up in a decisive arc that sends the larger man stumbling back, dark miasma lifting from his edges like a dirge.

The marble-esque form of the girl fades away, face still utterly impassive.

Vanitas wonders if it resembles what happened to the girl she was based on.

“Why do this?” Sora asks the dying man, who refuses to fall to his knees even as his form dissipates around him.

“Why do anything?” The man has the audacity to chuckle at him.

“You hurt that girl, you hurt Riku- what is wrong with you?”

The man lifts his head to the sky, as if in thought.

“We do the things we must. To find. To Survive.”

Sora shakes his head in disgust, not understanding the cryptic words.

Vanitas lets the tip of his keyblade hit the ground with a sharp clang, drawing the attention of everyone aware enough to do so.

He drags his keyblade across the floor, leaving distinct scratches in his wake. He wouldn’t call himself an artist, and a keyblade was hardly a tool meant for it, let alone one as blunt as his, but he’d had plenty of practice with nothing to do in the badlands of his birth.

He’s thankful he knows what this particular flower looks like.

“A strelitzia.” The man murmurs as Vanitas pulls his keyblade away from the simple drawing. Suddenly his eyes widen, surprise and grief at war in his eyes. “A st- Strel-”

And then he vanishes into the dark.

“Vani? Why did you do that?” 

-He needed to understand why he was wrong.- Vanitas signs without really thinking about it. His heart knows it's truth, but he's not entirely sure _why. _Thankfully Sora doesn't push for a clearer answer, though he regards Vanitas with a confused expression.

He still doesn’t know how he and Ven know this man, or where he remembers that image of the girl from. They don’t know why this castle feels familiar to Ven but not him. There’s too many questions, but he doesn’t think they’re going to get those answers today. Maybe not ever.

“Sora? You’re… You’re Sora.” It’s the girl, Naminé, standing in the center of the room and looking at Sora with wide, shining eyes. Her body language is pulled in, making every effort to be as small as possible, and her eyes shine with unshed tears.

“You must be Naminé, right?” Sora greets with his usual smile. Vanitas can tell he’s not at all as laid back internally as he presents right now, but he won’t upset the illusion. It’s been a long day for all of them. “Is Rik- is he all right?”

“Yes, I think.” She nods. “The hit he took for me was bad, but I think he’ll be okay.”

“That’s good.” Sora sighs in relief. “Come on, let’s all get out of here.”

“But-” She pauses, uncertain, and Sora turns to face her. “What about your memories?”

“Oh. Right.” Sora says, like he’d forgotten that he’d forgotten. “Maybe it’ll fix itself when we leave?”

Vanitas heaves an animated sigh at Sora’s blind optimism. Sora lets out a small, offended ‘Hey!’ at the reaction.

“N.. No.” Naminé wrings her hands, glancing between Vanitas and Sora, clearly afraid but pushing on. “It won’t. I have to fix it.”

“You?” Sora asks. And she nods. Vanitas tilts his head, the pieces coming together in his mind. Naminé winces.

“It- It was me. I was the one.. Who changed your memories.”

She braces herself, as if waiting to be hit. Sora won’t deny the hurt that her words caused, but something about how afraid of retribution she is hurts him far more.

“What?” Is all he can think to ask.

“I changed your memories.” She says again, and then the words fall from her in a tumble like she can’t seem to stop them. “I was so alone, and when they said you’d come find me I believed them! But then things changed and I was so scared and I’m so sorry. I’m so, so sorry.” She says, head hanging towards the floor. Little droplets hit the ground and Sora belatedly realises she’s started crying.

He takes a step forward, and then another. Slowly, carefully, trying not to startle her. He reaches out and takes her hands in his.

“It’s okay.” Is all he says, and that’s all it takes.

She starts to bawl in earnest, leaning forward to press her face into his jacket as sobs too big for her small body wrack her.

Vanitas decides he doesn’t need to be witness to this, and fades back into the heart place.

Ven is still unconscious, though Van can feel the undercurrent of emotion beneath his sleep and knows he’ll probably wake soon.

He doesn’t look forward to trying to explain everything, considering he doesn’t really know what happened himself.

“A strelitzia.” He murmurs into the darkness. “Why a strelitzia?”

He doesn’t remember. He’d let the impulse take him, the scattered fragments of memories, a girl he doesn’t think he ever met, and somehow it had led him to a flower.

He doesn’t understand the connection yet.

-

Sora has to sleep.

Or at least, that’s how it’s explained to them. The damage Naminé had caused was fixable, but it meant going into a coma for a while. Ven was understandably not a fan of this plan, but he also understood that there really wasn’t much for other choices.

The other effect was that Sora would lose his memories from this place, from the moment she had started tinkering with his memories.

_“It’ll be just like before.”_ Ven assures him. _“We’ll help you remember.”_

“I could just.. Not go in.” Sora says quietly. Donald and Goofy turn their heads away, understanding that he’s not talking to them. “You could help me remember now too. What’s the difference?”

_“Sora..”_ Ven starts sadly, but Vanitas interrupts.

_“You can’t forget Kairi.”_ He says simply. _“Naminé… at least she understands. You can build a new friendship after. Forgetting Kairi, after everything.. Would just be cruel.”_

And that, more than anything convinces him. He needs those real memories too.

So they load him into the strange egg shaped pod as Naminé and the replica boy watch on, and they say their goodbyes.

“I’ll see you again, right?” Sora asks, naked hope on his face. “And then we can all be friends, for real. Promise!”

“Y.. Yeah.” Naminé nods with a smile that was uncertain but hopeful. The replica boy just looks away.

Sora pauses in the way he does when he’s listening on the inside.

“Hey, not-Riku.” He calls, and the boy looks up at him. “Vani has a suggestion for a name, but only if you want. He wants it to be your choice.”

The petals are starting to close. The boy hesitates for only a moment.

“Tell me.”

“His suggestion is Haru.” Sora answers. The pod is almost closed.

“Haru.” He tests the word, feeling its form on his tongue.

“It means spring.” Sora smiles, and then the gap closes, and the boy vanishes from sight.

And then it’s just the replica and Naminé, looking over the silent, white room.

“Spring.” He says.

“Like new beginnings.” Naminé supplies quietly.

“Yeah.” Haru says, something like a smile crossing his features. “I like it.”

-

Epilogue

-

Zexion stumbles out of the portal, hand clenched to his side as if it might keep the wisps of darkness from floating away from his body. He hisses in pain, and clutches a fist against the wall in impotent fury.

First Vexen, then Lexeaus, now…

It hurts.

Not just the physical kind.

It _ can’t _ hurt though.

He doesn’t want to think about why it could hurt. Because if it hurts that means he’s been lied to. If he’s been lied to then that means-

He was always an exceptionally bright child, or so he’s been told.

He feels as much as smells it when Larxene fades from existence, the ozone of her presence vanishing into the dark. He expects it won’t be long before Marluxia follows. He had not known them long, but where one went the other always seemed to follow with those two, whether they intended it or not.

They’re dropping like flies. 

He has a sneaking suspicion as to why.. And he doesn’t mean Sora above or Riku in the basement.

And hadn’t _ that _ been an unexpected surprise, Riku all but appearing in the lower levels and smelling like the Superior of all people. It was likely only a matter of time before the two found each other, but at this rate he wouldn’t be around to see it.

The portal opens behind him and out of his sight, but he’s well aware of its presence. There was very little that could sneak up on the illusionist.

Something pounds in his ears as Axel steps through.

It feels like fear.

They stare each other down for an agonizingly long time, Zexion still clutching his side and trying his best not to pant, trying not to show weakness. Axel merely gazes at him entirely impassively.

Finally, Zexion has had enough.

“What are you waiting for?” He hisses. He knows what the assassin is here to do. He’s afraid (he’s not he can’t be), but he cannot stand the waiting any longer.

Axel looks down, almost doesn’t seem to react at all. He flexes one hand, and Zexion expects a flaming chakram to appear in it, but instead Axel reaches into a pocket and throws him an elixir instead.

He barely manages to catch it, surprised as he was. He drains it without question, too desperate and close to death to wonder what poison or catch there might be.

“Why?” He asks, as his form straightens and his wounds close. No poison at least. “I’m not stupid, after the others- we were all sent here to be terminated, weren’t we?” _ By you or the heroes didn’t particularly matter, likely. _ Zexion doesn’t feel the need to add that part however.

Axel shrugs.

“Yeah. Less you lot, but… Yeah.”

“Why?” Curse his curiosity, or perhaps curse the feelings (they’re not, they’re not feelings he won’t _ let _ them be) of betrayal that sit low in his chest.

“I don’t know.” Is his answer, the most honest one he’s sure he’s going to get from the red headed assassin.

Zexion wants to ask more, but the more pressing concern is what to do now.

He can’t go back, he realises all at once.

“You realise this.. Would be considered treason.” He doesn’t know why he’s arguing for his own death. Too many intellectual debates with Vexen over the years, probably.

“Not if they never find out.” And Axel smiles, an empty one Zexion is very familiar with. “Go. Keep your head down. Maybe start a family or something.”

Zexion snorts. Not likely. But he will go. He doesn’t want to die today.

There’s one last thing he wants to know, however.

“Why are you letting me go?” He asks.

_ Why not Vexen? Why not Lexaeus? _ Are the questions he doesn’t.

“I guess.. I remembered something I never should have forgotten.” Axel says quietly, then he smiles. It’s almost genuine, if a smile could be sad. Zexion couldn’t remember if they could. “I’ve got an open tab for ice cream in Twilight Town. Get one on me, would you?”

He remembers being small, and the two new boys being inducted into the apprentices. He remembers the loud, friendly one buying him ice cream and asking his name.

He remembers a lot of things.

“Twilight Town sits on the edge of light and dark, it’s crawling with nobodies.” He points out. Axel smirks.

“Then you’ll fit right in, won't you? First rule of hiding, kid. The best places are in plain sight.”

He’s not a kid anymore, but it certainly explained why he’d always been rubbish at hide and seek, despite being all but mute for most of his childhood.

He was much better at it once he gained the mastery of illusions.

Axel opens a portal and turns away.

“You should get going. Won’t be long now.”

And Zexion is left alone.

He opens his own portal and steps through, stumbling as he hits the uneven orange cobblestone of Twilight Towns streets. His wound pulls uncomfortably, though at least it isn’t mortal anymore. He looks at the empty elixir bottle, pulling at the curling sticky tab across the bottom.

“Expired.” He mutters. “Of course it is.” He never liked that moogle.

He glances around the thankfully empty alleyway, getting his bearings.

He shucks off his coat outside the privacy of his room for the first time in a decade, leaving only the shirt and pants beneath. It’s all black and surely still stands out, but less so. 

He wraps it into a bundle, and walks out into the light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so here's where we start hitting more major divergences. Finally. zexion lives, axel's conscience came back much faster, and repliku/haru get to live too. time till tell how and what these new factors change, if anything changes at all (it will i promise)
> 
> next up is 358, which i wrote as a one-shot because frankly that one had only minor changes... and also i already wrote the entirety of 358 day by day for a fanfic once and i was _not_ doing it again lol.

**Author's Note:**

> oh CoM Axel, you glorious bastard you.


End file.
